Biometric Monitoring Technologies in Cancer: The Past, Present, and Future

Tracing the Arc of Biometric Monitoring in Oncology

Oncology has been one of the earliest and most active therapeutic areas for biometric monitoring technology (BioMeT) adoption. From early activity tracking in cancer patients to today’s more sophisticated continuous monitoring approaches. A perspective published in JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics, co-authored by Koneksa Health’s Elena Izmailova and William Wood of UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, takes stock of that evolution across three distinct chapters: past, present, and future.

A Framework Built Around Where the Field Has Been and Where It’s Going

• The past: The piece looks back at the early adoption of biometric monitoring in oncology, tracing how the field’s initial use cases and technology limitations shaped the trajectory that followed.
• The present: The authors take stock of where biometric monitoring technologies in cancer care and research currently stand, the use cases that have matured, and the ones still working through validation and adoption challenges.
• The future: Looking ahead, the perspective considers where BioMeTs in oncology are headed next, likely touching on themes central to the broader digital biomarker field: fit-for-purpose validation, integration into clinical workflows, and the shift toward more personalized, continuous patient monitoring.

Why an Oncology-Specific Retrospective Matters

Cancer care presents distinct challenges for biometric monitoring, from physically and emotionally taxing treatment regimens to highly heterogeneous patient populations that don’t always map cleanly onto BioMeT validation approaches developed in other therapeutic areas. Taking stock of the field’s past and present in oncology specifically is what makes it possible to chart a realistic, clinically grounded future for continuous monitoring in cancer care, rather than assuming lessons from other disease areas will transfer wholesale.

This is the same oncology-specific thinking Koneksa Health brings to digital biomarker strategy for cancer sponsors, recognizing that fit-for-purpose validation looks different in oncology than it does elsewhere.

Reference: Izmailova ES, Wood WA. Biometric Monitoring Technologies in Cancer: The Past, Present, and Future. JCO Clin Cancer Inform. 2021;5:728-733. doi:10.1200/CCI.21.00019. PMID: 34236887.